Converting gas to diesel

Hi,

I would ay that unless you are lucky enough to get an engine that has an almost exact copy that was made in a diesel version you are wasting your time and money.

A diesel engine works at a lot higher pressures that a gas engine and is therfore much more heavily constructed than it's gas counterpart.

Re powering is your best option.

What's it powered by at the moment?

It's possible but not cheap.
Unless you are in love with that boat or get a SUPER buy, it's probably more trouble than it's worth.

Diesel is MUCH safer than gasoline.
With an old boat you will have to completely go through the fuel system making sure that there are no leaks, excellent ventilation, insulation on the ignition system, spark arresters up to date, effective exhaust fans etc.

I've seen two inboard gas boats explode (one a 26 foot Chris Craft, the other a 35 foot sport fisher), don't really want to see another. If you do get a gas boat, ventilate very well prior to each start up even after being stopped for a few minutes.

Dave

Re-read the above post and then ask the question again!

Hi,

Personally I would go for the Diesel one, it is going to be safer for a start. You say your self that the extra cost is not only for the power plant but extra features as well which al round would make the diesel powered one a better more functional boat.

There are also some things you need to be aware of when using a diesel boat for just short journeys a few times a year. Diesel fuel had a bad habit when siting of allowing a fungus to grow in the space between the water in the bottom of the tank and the diesel fuel itself.This can cause you multiple problems. Make sure that your fuel and tanks are clean and always treat your diesel with a biocide such as Biobor JF or similar.

I would also make sure that you had good quality water separating filters such as Racor ( I tend to steer away from Separ owing to their outrageous filter costs. If you are running GM Power in the form of Detroit Diesels getting water into the Injectors while the engines are running can cause the water to boil and expand so much that it pps the end off the Injector Nozzles. This is an expensive repair and will cause you to stop enjoying your cruise.

Please don't be put off by what I have written it's just something that anyone using a diesel boat should be made aware of as I have seen much heartache and ruined plans caused by a lack of preventative maintenance because no one was aware that there can be problems with the fuel that sits in a boat that didn't affect "Uncle Bobs" diesel truck that ran every day for 30 yrs and didn't end up with a tank full of Jello!

Here is a link to a reasonably good explanation of the Cladosporium Resinae bug.

http://www.fueldoctors.com/fuel.htm

Well, I'm going to go the other way just for a bit.

Let me first say that I prefer diesel over gas any day. That being said. I would think long and hard about changing over from gas to diesel for a boat that you say will only be used for a couple of trips a year. Lets say that a swap out will cost about $25000 to $35000 give or take a few (probably more). The cost alone would buy you A LOT of gasoline for many years to come. Come maintenance time, it is MUCH cheaper to maintain a gas engine over a Diesel. Worse case scenario, if you destroy one or both gas engines, they a MUCH cheaper to replace than a ONE diesel engine.

Yes, diesel is safer that gasoline. But a well prepared gas powered boat can be just as safe as a diesel powered boat.

On the flip side, if you plan on EXTENSIVELY using the boat and you require the fuel savings that most diesels provide for long distance travel and or continuous operation and you plan to keep the boat long enough, than diesels may be for you. even then, you need to justify the cost of repowering versus lower fuel consumption and time between overhauls.


It's all in how you justify it.

Mario